Chapter 24 : Should I Not Pursue A Meeting In The Demon King’s Castle? (3)

“Isn’t that the blonde who came by last time?”

Luminil poked her head out slightly and pointed at a part of the camera with her finger.

Even though it happened quite a while ago, she still remembered Elian.

Her memory’s surprisingly good.

I briefly explained everything that had happened with Elian so far.

“You’ve already gotten that close with the hero? I’m kind of jealous…”

“You don’t need to be jealous. I’ll bring you up to that level too, Luminil.”

“Huh? Nah, I’m already doing fine. No need to push it.”

“There is.”

I placed my hand on Luminil’s head and started to think.

Elian’s sudden visit.

Honestly, it didn’t make sense.

It seemed Luminil felt the same way.

She asked me, “But didn’t you say you’re friends with Elian?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why is he coming over… under the pretext of a subjugation mission?”

“I don’t know either.”

Elian and I have gotten fairly close, more than I expected.

It’s not just me thinking that unilaterally either.

‘But then why did he come to our Demon Lord’s castle?’

Even if it looks like Elian came just to hang out, the truth is he probably came under the excuse of a subjugation mission.

In the end, it means he came to kill me.

And we can’t even resurrect.

Not that he’d let us off the hook even if we begged.

Right now, Elian’s room has over 10,000 viewers watching.

If he openly acts friendly and playful with the Demon Lord’s executives in front of them…

At the very least, it won’t create a good impression.’

That’s why I was even more curious about Elian’s intentions.

And this time, Elian didn’t come alone.

“There’s a trap there!”

“Ah, oh no. I almost made a mistake. Thanks, senpai!”

“You… you don’t need to call me senpai.”

“No, you’re my greatest senpai!”

Next to him was Luna, holding her staff.

She had recovered quickly, her dark circles were completely gone.

But Luna wasn’t the only one.

“Pris! Are you okay over there?”

“Yeah, I found some delicious-looking cookies in the cafeteria.”

“Don’t eat them!”

“Elian… bad person.”

There was also a green-haired elf who seemed a bit… off.

They called her Pris.

I had no idea who she was.

I’d never seen her in the game.

Which means, she’s someone with no available information.

But on the other hand, her mana was overwhelming.

‘A tank ranked number one in mana capacity, a versatile healer, and a mage with insane magical power.’

This is one hell of a tryhard party.

No matter how I look at it, it only seems like they’re determined to take my head.

Did I do something to make Elian hate me?

Or…

Is it because he saw me naked back then?

No matter how I tried to reason it, I couldn’t come to an answer.

Meanwhile, Elian’s party steadily advanced forward, guided by information from the community.

In the end, they reached the hallway right before the audience chamber.

At this point, it seemed impossible to turn back.

Still, I am a little grateful to Elian.

If Elian had really set his mind to joining the first party on purpose…

‘He would’ve physically destroyed all the traps, leaving them as trash in just 30 minutes.’

Thinking about it that way, Elian was being considerate of me.

“Luminil, it’s okay to step in this time.”

“Great! Honestly, I was waiting for you to say that. I’ve really gotten stronger!”

I manifested my weapon with magic.

At first, I was going to summon the usual short sword, but I changed my mind.

If they’re serious on that side,  Then I should show a bit of seriousness too.

The magic concentrated in the blade extended outward, And what formed was a longsword, quite different from the one I usually used.

A white dress and a longsword.

Transformation complete.

“Now, shall we greet our guests?”

“Everyone, stay sharp. This won’t be easy.”

Before entering the audience chamber, Elian gave a final word of caution to the group.

Though, to be honest, it was more for one person in particular.

Since Luna already knew the strength of Irene.

“Irene…? Just how strong is she for Elian to be like this…?”

“Uh… yeah, right?”

But come to think of it, even Elian probably doesn’t fully know how strong Irene is.

Elian gave a reasonable explanation to Pris, enough for her to accept.

“She’s incredibly strong. Probably stronger than our party.”

“That strong…?”

Pris looked up at Elian with her half-closed eyes.

It was her way of showing she was fairly surprised.

Then, just as I thought she’d charge into the audience chamber without another word, Pris added something.

“But… isn’t she a friend? Why fight a strong friend…?”

No one here knows LOL

Friend? What kind of rank 1 fights as friends with a Demon Lord’s soldier?

(Elian glaring with a sword emote) (Elian glaring with a sword emote) (Elian glaring with a sword emote)

As more people join, there are so many who don’t even know about the Elian-Irene dynamic…

So why the subjugation?

So why the subjugation?

Friend, my foot.

That elf doesn’t seem to understand the situation.

Elian did act close with the Demon Lord’s executives.

Did Elian cut ties with Irene?

It was the question on everyone’s mind.

Whenever the viewers were curious, Elian would usually brush it off with a playful “That’s a secret~.”

Even Pris, who was in the same party, seemed curious.

Elian, left with no choice, finally spoke up.

Luna, who was also curious but felt too awkward to ask, listened intently as Elian began to talk.

However, his answer was short and straightforward.

“A revenge match.”

As Elian said that, he fiddled with the terminal outside the broadcast screen.

The moment messages arrived for the two party members, they discreetly checked them outside the broadcast’s view.

[Elian: I’m going to protect my friend.]

“A revenge match… I see.”

Luna, being an experienced streamer, responded casually while sending a message back outside the broadcast.

[Luna: Protect Irene?]

[Elian: Yeah. She can’t hold out for the remaining six days, can she?]

[Luna: Now that you mention it, you’re right. Last time, she collapsed from exhaustion too…]

It’s true that Irene is incredibly strong.

She might even be able to win against the entire Hero Guild on her own.

But as she always says herself, In the end, she’s human.

If it were a single large-scale battle, she’d crush it.

But when it comes to drawn-out fights, Irene is surprisingly vulnerable.

Of course, this wasn’t like the time with the Decapitator Demon King, where the enemies were scattered.

If Irene were to march into the Hero Guild and destroy it outright, it would all be over.

But obviously, that’s not her personality.

That’s why Elian decided to protect Irene.

His plan was simple:

Defeat Irene.

And completely destroy the Demon Lord’s castle.

Most people didn’t know this, but,

A “subjugation” by the Hero Guild doesn’t necessarily require the Demon Lord to be killed.

[Elian: I’ll destroy the Demon Lord’s castle. That counts as a subjugation too.]

[Pris: That rule came up after I retired…?]

[Elian: No, it’s always been there, but hardly anyone knows about it.]

In truth, only a small handful, including Elian, knew about this.

Not because it was classified information or anything.

It’s just that people usually get the “subjugation” status by killing the Demon Lord.

Who would bother going out of their way to demolish the entire castle?

For that reason, it wasn’t widely known.

This was the core of Elian’s plan.

[Elian: Anyway, if we destroy the Demon Lord’s castle, no one will be able to come to the unnamed demon realm.]

[Luna: Ah, then Irene will be able to rest peacefully!]

[Elian: She’ll owe us one too. And I’ll make her do some cute gestures for payback.]

[Luna: Huh?]

[Elian: She made me do cute gestures, so it’s only fair I make her do it too!]

[Pris: Then… shouldn’t you just tell Irene about this plan?]

[Elian: It’s a surprise. She’s always pulling her mischievous stunts, so it’s her turn to experience one.]

[Pris: Elian… you’ve gotten bold.]

At the door, they made their final resolution.

To let Irene rest, they had to defeat her.

Elian stood boldly before the door and shouted,

“It’s been a while, Irene! I came for an interview!”

No sooner had Elian finished speaking, the large doors of the audience chamber opened with a loud noise.

From within, a woman with gray hair in a white dress emerged.

To Luna, it was the familiar Irene.

“Ugh… so noisy.”

But Elian, unaware of the detail that Luna had bought Irene the dress, was left utterly speechless the moment he saw her.

No, to be honest, he thought someone entirely different had come out.

Is this wedding prep for Irene and Elian or what?

Too pretty to be a Demon Lord’s executive.

She’s fighting in a wedding dress?

From now on, anyone not shipping Elian and Irene will be handled by me.

Holy crap, her looks are insane!

I expected some horned beast when they said executive, but an idol came out?

I’m not even an Irene fan, but her bare skin shows like that… damn.

Now I see why everyone likes Irene.

Until the Northern Continent melts?

Fact is, I’ll keep worshipping Elian and Irene forever, LOL.

[User “Irene123” just donated 40,000G to Elian!]

[WakyaHahaIreneROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL]

Elian, glancing briefly at his terminal, smiled at Irene and said,

“The chat is going crazy because of you.”

“What did I even do?”

“Seduction.”

“…?”

Irene looked at Elian with a confused expression.

What kind of nonsense was this about seduction?

Irene really wanted to check the chat herself, but with so many viewers watching, it felt inappropriate to openly use the Hero Guild terminal in front of them.

Instead, she responded with her sword.

Elian quickly raised his shield to block Irene’s blade.

Even with his mana doubled and his body enhancement magic strengthened, it was hard to fend off Irene’s attacks.

If it were the pre-enhanced Elian, he wouldn’t have been able to block her strikes at all.

That’s how serious Irene was.

It was at this point that Elian realized he’d miscalculated.

He thought Irene might catch on to the situation, but instead, she seemed genuinely intent on killing him.

To apologize, Elian opened his terminal, but before he could speak—

“Do whatever you want, stupid Elian.”

Suddenly, Irene taunted him.

Elian instantly understood the hidden meaning behind her words.

She didn’t actually intend to kill him.

It seemed like she was trying to play a game or a prank.

Fine. If that’s how she wants to play, bring it on.

The moment Irene gave her permission, it was as if she taunted them, daring them to unleash all the “vile acts” they could muster against her.

With that line, she really sounds like a villain.

“Do whatever you want” (while wearing a dress).

Luna confirmed it’s a one-piece dress, by the way!

One-piece supremacy!

Who even thinks Irene sounds like a villain? What does that person usually watch?
It’s common knowledge that the Demon Lord is the hero’s heroine, isn’t it?

And that a Demon Lord’s executive can also be a heroine, duh.

Hi, I’m Irene, and yes, Elian is my heroine.

Elian snapped his fingers.

The charged mana from Pris took shape, then split into beams, hurtling toward Irene.

“If Elian’s doing it… then so am I.”

Now that I think about it, isn’t this basically a clash of the strongest?

For real.

The Demon Lord’s executive who defeated Elian in one strike vs. the strongest hero party.

LOL.

Don’t forget Luna’s there, making it unbeatable.

Wait, are you dissing our Luna?

(Luna angry emotes x3)

As soon as Irene saw the magic beams, she leapt toward the wall.

She wasn’t just running on the wall—she dashed across it, then onto the ceiling.

Everyone was in shock, but Irene simply muttered,

“It’s magic.”

As she dropped from the ceiling, she unleashed a swift strike.

Pris’s protective shield shattered in an instant.

Pris, who had once held the rank of the number one mage before retiring, was stunned by the turn of events, her usual calm and soft demeanor shaken.

“This is the first time… something like this has happened.”

“Looks like this fight won’t be over quickly,”

Elian said.

“Oh, it will. I’m about to finish it now,”

Irene replied.

And yet, they fought for another ten minutes, breaking Irene’s personal record for the longest battle.

Objectively, Elian’s current party was an unprecedentedly strong group.

Most would think it was a miracle Irene lasted this long against them.

But in reality, it was the opposite.

Irene was holding back.

It was obvious why.

Irene still had countless battles ahead of her.

She was doing everything she could to minimize her mana consumption.

That wasn’t all.

Throughout the fight, she had cast advanced protective magic equivalent to Elian’s level across the entire Demon Lord’s castle, ensuring it wouldn’t sustain damage.

This was an impossible feat, even for the most powerful archmages.

And on top of that, she was actively fighting at the same time.

The amount of mana she was expending was on a completely insane level.

However, as the fight dragged on unnecessarily, Irene quickly changed her mind.

Whatever Elian’s scheme was, it was better to end things here and now.

Irene swung her sword at Elian.

When Elian deflected it with his shield, Irene used the recoil to propel herself to the opposite side.

“Let’s end this now.”

Irene began gathering mana into her sword.

Realizing her intent immediately, Elian turned to Pris.

“Let’s gather our mana too! We can’t lose!”

I thought this was WWE, but why are they suddenly doing UFC?

(Elian emote preparing for battle)

Anyway, it’s exciting, so who cares?

(Luna emotes saying ‘Fighting!’ x3)

When friends throw punches (with their lives on the line).

Are they seriously okay, though?

LOL

The winner gets to marry me! The winner gets to marry me! The winner gets to marry me! The winner gets to marry me! The winner gets to marry me!

Who decided that?

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

[Elian] – [Currently Live!]

[“Revenge Match”]

[Viewers – 13,520]

The viewer count had already broken all previous records and was still climbing.

The chat was in chaos, overheating with excitement.

Except for the poor moderators tirelessly filtering out those who crossed the line, everyone was eagerly awaiting the finale.

Why was Elian attacking Irene?

Who would emerge victorious in this final strike?

Amid the mountain of unanswered questions, Irene unleashed an enormous slash, infused with overwhelming mana.

The powerful mana turned into a blade of energy that flew straight toward Elian.

“If I survive this, I’ll definitely need an explanation.”

Not to be outdone, Pris swung her staff, combining the mana of all three party members.

A massive beam of light shot down the hallway, aimed at intercepting Irene’s slash.

Elian and Irene both shouted simultaneously:

“Die!”

“Please die!”

Of course, neither of them actually meant it.

Ironically, no one in the Demon Lord’s castle wanted the other to die, and it was as if everyone instinctively knew this.

Hearing their words, some couldn’t help but smile.

What they called an “all-out attack” was really just carefully restrained magic designed to avoid killing each other.

Not long after, the two forces collided.